Tank-car.



F. M. STEVENSON.

TANK CAR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 19!].

Patented Jan.15,1918.

2 SHEET$-SHEET I.

II I ll .IFI' H I I IL H AG 5711' f/rew F. M. STEVENSON.

TANK CAR.

APPLICATION FILED 00229. I917.

1,253,743 Patented Jan. 15, mm

2 SHEETS-SHE-ET 2.

witnesses ATENT FRANK M. STEVENSON, OF SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR,BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE PENNSYLVANIA TANK CAR (JOJl/l'lliANY,-OF. SHARON, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

TANK-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 19118.

Application filed October 29, 1917. Serial No. 198,913.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANK M. STEVEN- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Sharon, in the county of Mercer and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tank-Cars;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

This invention relates to supports and more particularly to tanksupports for tank cars and has for one of its principal objects toprovide a device of this character that will be constructed of castmetal, and one that will be more efl icient, durable and cheaper tomanufacture than the forms of supports heretofore used, which have beenmade principally from pressed metal.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a support that maybe adapted for use on different sized cars and one that will be strongerthan those constructed of pressed metal and so constructed as'toeliminate danger of crackling or breaking of the casting, or shell oftank.

Generally stated, my improved support comprises side members of castmetal having top and bottom portions supported by ribs or flanges, theside members being secured together by tie rods and spaced apart bytubular spacing members mounted on the tie rods. A top plate is securedto the side members and supports suitable cushioning means upon whichthe tank is adapted to rest.

Although I have shown and described one particular and preferred form ofmy invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited tosuch a construction, and that various changes may be made in theconstruction and design within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view of a tank car showing myimproved supports in position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan of a support constructed according to my inventionwith the top plate and cushioning members removed;

Fig. 3 is a side view of one of my supports; and

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designatesthe side members of my device as a whole. The members 2 are composed oftop portion 3, bottom portion 4, web portion or inner side 5 andsupporting or strengthening ribs 6, all cast as a single unit. The top 3is flat and extends outwardly'and downwardly on an angle and terminatesin an upwardly extending flange 7. The bottom or base 4: is curved orarched upwardly, as at 8, and the end portions thereof are shaped toform bearing and securing lugs 9. The web or side portion 5 is formedintegral with the top 3 and bottom 4 at their one longitudinal edge. Theribs 6 are formed integral with the side or web 5, top 3 and bottom 4and extend outward to the free edge of the top and bottom members tostrengthen and support such members.

The side members 2 are secured together by cross or tie bolts 10 and arespaced apart by sleeves or tubular spaces 11 mounted on the bolts 10. V

A top plate 12 is mounted on the upper faces of the side members 2 andhas its lower edge abutting the flange 7 on each of said members. Themembers 2 and the plate 12 have suitable apertures 13 and 14respectivelytherein and screws or bolts 15 are adapted to be passedthrough the apertures 14 and'l5 to secure suitable cushion members 16 inposition on the plate 12. The cushion members 16 may be of any wellknown construction and material, but are preferably formed of wood andspaced apart as shown.

The whole support is secured to the car frame B by means of. bolts orrivets 17 which pass through apertures 18 in the plugs 9.

The tank supports heretofore used were formed of pressed steel to obtainstrength and lightness, but such supports were very expensive and notentirely satisfactory, and no support has been produced formed of castmetal that was satisfactory; they were either too heavy and bulksome, orif light enough, lacked strength.

The present support has all the required features; it is light, strongand easily assembled; and also has the advantage of being made insections so that worn or broken parts may be taken out and new onessubstituted without the loss of awhole support as has been the practiceheretofore.

The tank A is adapted to rest directly on the members 16 which havetheir upper faces formed to fit to the contour of the tank. The tank issecured in position on the car in any well known manner, as for instanceby the usual bands and anchors (not shown).

The advantages of this construction will be readily appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A support fortank cars comprising side members having longitudinally arched bases,means for securing said side members together, means cooperating withsaid firstnamed means for positively spacing said side members, and a.top plate extending across and supported on said side members.

2. A support for tank cars, comprising side members composed of a side,top and base portions, said base portion being arched, strengtheningribs between said top and base portions and formed integral with saidside,

top and'base portions, and means for securing said side members togetherand positively spacing said members apart.

3. Asupport for tank cars composed of cast metal and comprising sidemembers having arched bases, said side members being secured together bytie rods, spacing sleeves on said bolts for spacing said side members,and a top plate extending across and supported on said side members.

i. A support for tank cars composed of cast metal and comprising sidemembers having arched bases, said side members being secured together bytie bolts, spacing sleeves on said bolts for spacing said side members,said side members having flanges formed on their lower ends, and a topplate extending across and supported on said side members and abuttingsaid flanges.

5. A support for tank cars composed of cast metal and comprising sidemembers having arched bases, said side members being secured together bytie bolts, spacing sleeves on said bolts for spacing said side members,said side members having flanges formed on their lower ends, a top plateextending across and supported on said side members and abutting saidflanges, and cushioning means secured on said top plate.

6. The combination with a car having a tank supported thereon, of a castmetal support for said tank comprising side members having arched bases,said side members being secured together by tie bolts, spacing sleeveson said bolts for spacing said side members, said side members havingflanges formed on their lower ends, a top plate extending across andsupported on said side members and abutting said flanges, and aplurality of cushioning members secured on said top plate in spacedrelation with each other.

In testimony whereof, I, the said FRANK M. STEVENSON, have hereunto setmy hand.

FRANK M. STEVENSON.

Witnesses:

G. W. JONSSON, Cums F. Smva.

